Buying secondhand: Boxes and certificates...are they must haves for you?

I don't completely care about certificates because they always have the "wrong" birthday so I won't keep them anyways. I only like certificates because then I know it's not a recast. I do want to have doll boxes though, it's important in my opinion. It's kindda like a collection I guess? And it also gives dolls a place to stay if I ever want to put them away.

 

As all of my dolls are secondhand I have no certificates my four biggest ones were from the same seller who used to live in the USA and bought them whilst there. All except one little doll came with original boxes and cushions (where supplied) I can see no point in getting replacement certificates because these would still not be the actual ones. Because so many recasts are being imported at the moment yes it does worry me for any future purchases.

 

They never used to be but now that I've become aware just how rampant recasts have gotten, I'll start only buying dolls with certs or new from the companies.

 

If the doll comes with papers originally; then yes, I require the papers.
The boxes for my dolls are used as storage for doll things like wigs and clothes; so I don't mind if they don't come in the original box; either way I'll use the boxes, so I don't care if it's fancy.

 

The less I have to pay for to be shipped to me, the better. I ask all my sellers to ship my dolls unstrung if possible, unless shipping is free. Then however they want to ship to me, that's their choice. Of all my dolls, I think only ONE came with the original paperwork. Personally? I think everyone who is in a dizzy about needing the paperwork/original box in order to know the doll isn't a fake is a little...lazy, and needs to educate themselves in safe dolly buying practices. Stop putting all the responsibility on the seller.

Yes, the seller has a certain obligation to uphold- they need to give you pictures, and answer your questions as accurately as they can. But you as a buyer have to wise up, know what you're buying, and do your research. Because some members, like myself, have legitimate dolls, and DON'T have the original paperwork so I can't appease your paranoia. Now, thankfully, I know the history of every one of my dolls. I can track most of them back to their original owner, if that owner isn't me. But again, I know what I'm buying. I'm buying dolls I'm familiar with. I know the resin. I know the color. The years. I can usually tell mods, without having to have them pointed out.

So before we all start a witch hunt for people who DON'T have the paperwork because it's clutter - take the time to research the seller. Most the times, the dolls I buy are on their 2nd or 3rd owners by the time they get to me. I look for box openings/galleries. I check feedback, and check out who THEY bought from. I track it back to the company as far as I can, and I buy with confidence because i did my part. So I'm going to continue NOT asking for any of that. Because if we all keep freaking out about the evil "recast monsters" lurking on the marketplace, pretty soon we're going to require all sellers to provide a portfolio of dated and notarized photographs and documentation on the doll going back to the dolls arrival from the company in order to prove it's not fake. Just be smart. and keep the boxes and other clutter.

 

I don't buy second hand dolls without the certificate of authenticity but I dont care much for the box... Of course the original box is nice to have ( and I have so many! ).

 

My Bluefairy Alice didn't even have any papers, just the box, which I kept as her bed. If I were to ever buy secondhand I wouldn't require papers. But I think I'd rather just buy from a company considering I have never cared for a limited.

 

Personally I do prefer that they come with the original paperwork at least, boxes are nice if the person still has it too, though. I was very happy when my Daydream Lance arrived in his original box to me! Almost felt as if I was getting the doll directly from the company~ That being said neither is a real requirement for me. Paperwork sometimes gets lost and boxes get damaged and thrown away.

 

I am super crazy about keeping absolutely everything with a doll so if I buy secondhand, I really want it to be complete. @_@ I like certificates/paperwork, but if the seller is reliable and well known, I'm not so worried about papers but if the doll doesn't have its company box, there's a 99.999% chance I won't purchase it for that reason alone. I've done a ton of moving in the past few years and the dolls always go into their boxes when I move and it keeps them safe. The boxes take up some room but I can always find somewhere to stuff them. Some dolls I've bought don't have boxes like the (off topic) Dollzone Lulu and Gugu but they're really tiny and kind of more like accessories/figurines so I'm more okay with them not having boxes so I'm just making a box for them to share.

I just really, really like dolls having their boxes and unless the doll is limited or an INSANELY good deal, I'll happily pass on a secondhand one if it doesn't have its box. I'd rather just buy a new doll and go through the waiting rather than dealing with the irritation I'd deal with knowing that the doll came without its box. Even when I had more than 20 dolls, I still kept every single one of their boxes and I STILL have empty boxes lying around from ones I sold where the new owner didn't want the box. Surprisingly, they've all come in handy at one time or another!

 

I'd like to have papers, however I don't care so much about the box since I've not got the room to keep it. It also depends on the price.. Honestly I'd mind a lot more about papers for a $500+ doll than a $150 one, yknow?

 

I have a question (kind of related) to those who have SOLD dolls with original boxes/paperwork: How did you get a box that fit the original box for shipping in? I'm currently selling an MSD sized doll and will be checking out shipping prices shortly when I get home for spring break (my dolls are at my parents). I have the original box, paperwork, and receipt of purchase but I cannot for the life of me find a box that fits the company box inside!

 

3 of my 4 Dolls are second hand dolls, and they all came in their original boxes but without the certifications. And it don´t bother me. because the one doll who got it, I didn´t fill it out.

 

Nope, I don't need it, I just need my doll.

What I think includes a sweet find - Face up with eyes. Saves me trouble of both. Other then that anything else I consider luck.

 

In all honesty, I like the boxes and other goodies, but I won't spaz if I don't get them. Ultimately I want the doll

 

Hmm. I enjoy having the official boxes, but as long as the doll is packaged properly, I don't care. I get almost all my dolls secondhand... Certificates I think I'd really only care if it was a very special limited doll, or if there were recasts known to be floating about, but they're just not important to me.

 

This recasting bussiness is completely ruining our hobby, it gets me so angry!
Apart from the fact that it's stealing, it has much much bigger consequences.
People are getting scared to buy second hand dolls, it's insane.
I bought a littlefee Leah from fairyland in 2012. I wished to replace her for an Ante so I had put her on ebay.
Her box was destroyed when our basement flooded last november, and because of that I had 3 questions of "Is she a recast?"
I never EVER had this question before,(Im in the hobby since 2002!) and it pisses me off.
I understand people asking and wanting to make sure what they buy, but it offends me slightly because I would NEVER buy own or sell a recast.
I wouldn't even know where to get one and wish to keep it that way.
What I mean to say is that I can possibly not sell my legit doll ONLY because she has no box, due to the seed of suspicion planted within this hobby community by lazy easy money making recaster scum.

What people don't realize is that having a legit box with the doll doesn't automatically make it a legit doll.
Certificates can be faked, and empty legit boxes can be obtained, so it's no dead certainty.

Well, that was my daily rant... LOL!

 

To everyone who is saying that they will never buy a secondhand doll without a certificate . . . do you realize that many, many BJDs, especially those made before the last 2-3 years, never had certificates in the first place?

 

I would be fine with buying secondhand as long as everything was in great condition and all the COA's were in place.

 

I never really cared one way or the other about paperwork but I used to be really hung up about getting doll boxes. Now as it is the only dolls I want that can't be purchased new are pretty old and rare (Volks Ruby! URRGG) so if one came up without a box or papers I'd still buy her in a heartbeat (from a reputable seller, with pictures, blah blah blah.) I just don't have the space to obsess over doll boxes. One of my closets is packed with doll boxes! I really don't need any more! I have two incoming from Iplehouse right now and I'm already dreadeding where to put the damn boxes!

 

I have only 2 plastic mold picture cards and boxes for the two of my dollfamily boys, the other 2 came without original box (just a carboard box and a Luts box) and no papers or certificates.
My Dollzone body does have the certificates, but the seller i got him from never sended me those even after I asked for them and they weren't shipped with the doll.
Aside from that it is not a real bother for me whenever it contains the papers or box, just a extra